Joe Biden on gay marriage: 'Will and Grace' helped educate America

The political world is all a Twitter today, debating whether Vice President Joe Biden actually did endorse gay marriage on NBC’s Meet thePress this morning when he said he was “absolutely comfortable with…men marrying men, and women marrying women.” (If he did, the statement is beyond the Obama Administration’s stated policy opposing gay marriage, but supporting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.) What is crystal clear, though, is Biden’s endorsement of NBC’s Will & Grace as one of the biggest reasons American public opinion has moved steadily in the direction of approving same-sex nuptials.

“When things really began to change is when the social culture changes,” Biden told Meet the Press host David Gregory. “I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anybody’s ever done so far. People fear that which is different. Now they’re beginning to understand.”

Keen pop-culture observers may point out that Ellen DeGeneres, Modern Family, and Glee have also likely helped “educate” audiences about same-sex relationships. But Biden’s point certainly caught the attention of Will & Grace stars Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, who wasted little time tweeting their reactions. “I’m thrilled Biden has come out in support of gay marriage and am beyond proud of what he said [about Will & Grace] #PROUD,” read one Messing tweet. “Thank you Mr. Vice President for yer support and yer words about W&G. #humbled,” read another. (The latter was in response to an inquiry from Meet the Press producer Chris Donovan.) A few hours later, McCormack tweeted this reaction: “Three cheers for VP Joe Biden! Fantastic interview. Now who ELSE is gonna step up?” (Their Will & Grace costar Sean Hayes re-tweeted the news with no further comment.)

You can check out video of Vice President Biden’s Meet the Press interview below: